Wednesday, February 08, 2006
HATEFUL ATMOSPHERE DEMONSTRATED
NeanderNews reports:
Danish Imam Ahmad Abu Ladan, leader of The Islamic Society of Denmark, toured the middle east to create awareness of supposed anti-Islamic cartoons and included [a] black and white photo as well as two other undocumented examples. Akhmad Akkari, spokesman of the tour, explained that the three drawings had been added to “give an insight in how hateful the atmosphere in Denmark is towards Muslims.”
But the photo isn’t anything to do with Mohammed or Islam, or even Denmark. It shows Jacques Barrot, a pig squealing contestant at a festival in Trie-sur-Baise. The Brussels Journal has more on this porktastic debacle:
Tonight the BBC admitted that it has misinformed the international community by telling the world that one of the Danish Muhammad cartoons was a depiction of a pigsnouted Muhammad.
The BBC’s Paul Reynolds:
Twelve cartoons were originally published by Jyllands-Posten. None showed the Prophet with the face of a pig. Yet such a portrayal has circulated in the Middle East (The BBC was caught out and for a time showed film of this in Gaza without realizing it was not one of the 12).
This picture, a fuzzy grey photocopy, can now be traced back (suspicion having been confirmed by an admission) to a delegation of Danish Muslim leaders who went to the Middle East in November to publicise the cartoons.
As Wretchard comments: “What was that about limits proposed on free speech arising out of a duty not to inflame the Muslim street?”